we recently welcomed the VITRA ELEPHANT into our lives and it has been moving around the house non stop. there’s no way i’ll get to decide ‘a place’ for it like i do with other interior decoration, as two little girls are always picking it up and leaving it behind somewhere else. which is exactly the reason why i fell in love with it in the first place.
i love the VITRA COLLECTOR’S ITEMS as a way to introduce littles to timeless and iconic design. they might not fully appreciate it yet, but it’s one of those things that they’ll pick up subconsciously, and i am looking forward to telling them all about CHARLES & RAY EAMES, for example, when they get a little older.
if you’re into design and want to share this with your kids, i can also highly recommend the book THE THREE LITTLE PIGS as imagined from an architect or designer’s point of view by artist steven guarnaccia. it was gifted to juliet in french when she was born (by a dear friend who knew i’d LOVE it), and it’s still one of her favorites. the classic story takes place in modernist houses, furnished by design classics. it’s so much fun for adults to spot and identify them, and once again it’s a great way to gradually introduce these things to your kids. i’ve found myself explaining who corbusier was to a two-and-half-year old juliet and though i’m sure she doesn’t really remember or understand yet, it is hopefully laying a foundation for a future appreciation of good design. (also check out guarnaccia’s take on GOLDILOCKS!)
after our engagement trip, honeymoon and babymoons, i am now looking forward to another trip of a lifetime – taking juliet and eloise along on a trip to the american west coast and showing them all the famous architectural houses and museums filled with modernist design. it’ll probably be at least another year or ten before we’ll do that, so in the meantime i keep adding to our collection of kid-friendly design items and they keep treating them as their little friends!
photos by stephanie duval • post in collaboration with MISTER DESIGN
